This invention relates to stationery products and, more particularly, to a unique construction for stationery products which provide an easily employed, pivoted display or arm member incorporating integrally formed identification display means.
Substantial effort has been expended for many years in improving the construction and operation of stationery products, such as shears, scissors, graduated and ungraduated rulers, staplers, tape dispensers, and the like. As is evident from this activity, numerous attempts have been made to improve the ease of manufacture, assembly, and operation of these products, as well as the ability of having individuals easily identifying the owner of these products. However, in spite of this substantial effort, difficulties continue to exist.
Ever increasing demands have been placed on manufacturers of stationery products to increase the ease of operation of the tools by the consumer, as well as provide a tool which is rapidly manufactured and assembled. In particular, in such products specifically designed for use by children, efficiency in production and assembly must be realized in order to attain a product which can be sold at competitive prices.
Although various attempts have been made to achieve a product construction and assembly which enables the desired product to be manufactured and produced at a minimum expense, such efforts have failed to provide a final product which is capable of withstanding all of the demands placed on the product by the users. Consequently, the need for improvements in the manufacture and assembly of such products has continued, with the industry requiring improvements in design, structure, assembly, and operational ease.
In addition to attempting to resolving these existing problems, prior art stationery products have also been unable to allow individuals to quickly and easily incorporate a tag or label as an integral part of the product in order to enable the owner of the product to be identified in a convenience and aesthetically pleasing manner. Presently, no system exists which enables ownership identification to be incorporated directly within the stationery product itself, as an integral component thereof, eliminating unsightly printed tags for labels affixed by adhesive means to the outer surface of the stationery products. Although substantial interest has existed for many years in having achieving an integrally formed system to accommodate product identification, no prior art system has been developed to satisfy this need.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide stationery products which are constructed in a manner to enable the product to be quickly and easily assembled while also enabling the products to be easily and conveniently employed by the consumer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide stationery products having the characteristic features described above which incorporate integrally formed, pivotal cover or arm member which is capable of securely retaining a label, tag, or other identification means for designating the owner of the product.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
By employing the present invention, the difficulties and drawbacks found with prior art systems have been overcome and stationery product constructions are attained which provide ease of manufacture and assembly, as well as incorporating an integrally formed, easily manufactured identification label retaining and displaying zone. Employing the teaching of this invention, rugged, wear-resistant, long-lasting product constructions are realized which are capable of being achieved with substantial ease and simplicity.
In the present invention, a minimum of components are employed to produce the product constructions of this invention. In particular, by employing the present invention, any desired stationery product is able to be constructed with means for enabling an identification label or tag means to be retainingly inserted into a holding zone. In this way, individuals, particularly children and office workers, are able to identify their stationery products and distinguish their own products from the products of others. As a result, all individuals are able to personalize their products, if so desired, to assure their availability when needed. In addition, the personalization of these stationery products enables individuals to be able to freely share their products with others, while simultaneously enjoying a sense of pride in knowing and being recognized for such sharing, as well as knowing the products will be easily recognized and returned.
In one preferred embodiment, any desired stationery product is constructed with a separate plate member which incorporates and integrally formed, arcuately shaped boss extending from one surface of the plate. In addition, a cooperating surface of the stationery product incorporates a cooperating boss receiving zone. Alternatively, the placement of these components can be reversed with the upstanding arcuately shaped boss member being formed on the stationery product and the boss receiving zone being formed on the plate member.
By mounting these component in cooperating interengagement with each other, the plate member is able to arcuately pivot relative to the remainder of the stationery product. In this way, an easily constructed, arcuately pivotable identification label retaining and displaying zone is achieved which is integrally interconnected with the stationery product, forming a cooperating, integrally constructed portion thereof.
In the preferred construction, the plate member is formed from transparent material and incorporates a receiving zone within which any desired identification tag or label is easily placed and retained for easy visibility. As a result, the desired stationery product is constructed with a specially designated identification label retaining and displaying zone integrally formed therewith for use by the product owner.
By employing the present invention, a stationery product is constructed with a specific identification zone integrally formed therewith providing a unique distinctive construction enabling the user to quickly and easily position an identifying tag or label in direct association with the product as an integral part thereof, thereby designating the proprietor of the particular stationery product or providing any other desired information. Although the preferred construction employs affixing a cooperating plate or cover member in pivotable mounted interengagement with the stationery product to establish an easily employable, integrally formed identification zone for the product, numerous alternate constructions can be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.
If desired, an identification zone forming plate or cover member can be securely and integrally affixed to the stationery product by employing other securement systems or methods, such as sliders, locks, snap connections, and the like. In this way, any desired stationery product can be constructed with a specific identification zone integrally formed as a part of the stationery product, providing an easily used, a readily accessible, integral component for the stationery product.
As would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in this art, stationery products such as rulers, staplers, tape dispensers, triangles, pencil boxes, and the like, may be constructed with the identification zone formed by a plate or cover member integrally interconnected and movable relative to the product structure. As detailed above, a pivotal plate or cover is preferred. However alternate constructions employing sliders, snap connections, or other lock systems can be employed with equal efficacy.
In addition to these products, other stationery products which incorporate cooperating members pivotally mounted to each other, such as the shears, scissors, garden cutters, and the like may employ the present invention with a unique construction incorporating the plate or cover member of the identification label retaining and displaying zone interconnected with the pivot means of the product itself. In this way, a unique product construction is realized, providing ease of assembly and construction, while also incorporating a readily accessible, integrally formed product identification zone.
In this regard, in providing scissors, shears, or cutter constructions which are easily manufactured and assembled, while also achieving a rugged, long-lasting, wear-resistant product, each of the two, cooperating, pivotable arm members forming the product may be formed from a single component or, in the preferred embodiment, formed from a blade portion and a handle portion, which are integrally, securely mounted in engagement with each other to form a pivotable arm member. In addition, each of the cooperating, pivotable arm members incorporates a pivot forming aperture formed therein which is constructed for receiving and cooperatively interengaging with a pivot forming boss or pin.
In the preferred construction, a pivot forming boss is employed for being inserted into the apertures formed in the pivotable arm members of the scissors, shears, or cutter product, with the boss preferably being integrally formed with an overlying cover plate. In this construction, the cover plate is cooperatively associated with part of one handle portion.
In this way, with the cover plate preferably formed from transparent material, the cover plate functions as a receiving zone for the identifying label to enable the personalization of the scissors, shears, or cutter construction. Although alternate constructions can be employed for attaining an identification retaining member integrally formed with one handle member, including a cover plate which is not pivotable, the preferred embodiment employs a separate, arcuately pivotable cover plate integrally interconnected with the pivot forming boss.
In this regard, in order to attain an easily assembled, inexpensively produced product construction, the pivotable arm members of the product are preferably formed using plastic molded handle portions and preformed blade portions integrally affixed to the handle portions to form the desired arm member. By constructing these components for easy, rapid, ready interengagement with each other, manufacturing simplicity is attained and minimal assembly time is required to attain the unique, desirable, rugged scissors construction of this invention.
The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and relation of elements which will be exemplified in the articles hereinafter described.